To Love a Stag
by Tresa Cho
Summary: Remus notices something odd about his best mates. Warnings: slash, angst


Beta'd by the loffy kurla88, once again. Snuggles to you my love!

**To Love a Stag**

"James… how can…" he groaned as hot slickness found its way over his neck.

"Shut up," James growled against his skin, breath hot and stimulating. Sirius groaned, arching up into his clothed body. James' hands laced through his longer hair, tugging his head back and opening his mouth further. His tongue plunged into Sirius' mouth, eagerly met by Sirius' own as the other's hands crept under his shirt.

"Boys? You all right in there?" called a female voice.

James released Sirius' lower lip with a satisfying suck. "Yes mum!"

"I thought I heard something thumping!"

James slid his hand along the waistline of Sirius' pants, smirking as the boy tried to contain his moan. "I just fell out of bed." A lie. They both had fallen onto the bed.

"All right. Sleep well dears."

"Say good night to my mum, Padfoot," James whispered, tongue flicking against Sirius' ear. Oh Merlin. Tonight would be a rough one.

"G-Goodnight, Mrs. Potter!" Sirius managed through clenched teeth. James sniggered and licked Sirius' neck, sending a vicious shiver through the boy.

"Good night Sirius," Mrs. Potter chuckled through the door. Footsteps faded down the hall, and a door gently clicked shut.

"That was too close," Sirius hissed as James' fingers dipped below his waistline. "James!"

"Shut up, Padfoot. I will have you tonight." Without his glasses, James' eyes seemed alive in the darkness of his room. Sirius growled in response. James smirked and slowly pulled Sirius' shirt over his head. Sirius wasn't surprised that James knew the quickest way to get him out of the top. After all, it was James'. James ran his hands down Sirius' bare chest, working the skin almost gently, but Sirius knew this was a ruse. Leaving a slick trail of saliva and redness behind them, James' teeth and lips made their way down Sirius' chest. He paused at Sirius' navel, biting hard on pale skin.

Sirius leapt nearly off the bed. "Merlin, James!" His realized his hand was tangled in James' unruly hair. He also noticed that James was smiling devilishly. He looked down and gawked. James had managed to slip his trousers off without him noticing, leaving him bare. James rose to shuck off his own pants, and then sank back against Sirius on the bed. He groaned deep in his throat as they pressed against each other, and Sirius bent his legs at the knees to hold James on him.

James sealed his lips solidly over Sirius', muffling the moan forcing its way up the boy's throat. He sucked mercilessly at Sirius' lips and tongue, and Sirius grew hard against James' warmth. "That's right…" James murmured against Sirius' mouth. "Come play with me…"

……

The trip to Hogwarts that year was an unusually subdued one. Peter sat across from Remus, and Sirius sat next to Remus. James was not making it better, nudging at Sirius' foot subtly and flicking his eyes to the carriage door when he looked up. Each time Sirius surreptitiously shook his head no, just a bare twist. Just enough that Remus started to become suspicious.

"James is something wrong with your foot?" he finally asked, putting down the book he was reading.

James looked startled, and then a wicked smirk crossed his lips. "Nothing a little heat wouldn't cure." Sirius flushed brightly, and turned his head towards the window so Remus couldn't see.

"My god, Sirius! What happened to your neck?" Peter gasped, eyes wide. Sirius' hand flew to his neck, only to find someone had beaten him there.

"It looks like something bit you, hard," Remus said, fingers drifting along the skin of Sirius' throat. James snorted.

"I must have run into something recently…" Sirius covered weakly. Remus wasn't convinced. He should know what a bite mark looked like, after all.

"Sirius, what aren't you telling us?" Remus asked.

"Look, if the bloke doesn't want to admit an embarrassing fall, don't push him," James suggested, reclining back against his seat. Remus frowned, but returned to his book. Sirius knew he was angry though. Remus chewed on his lower lip when irritated, and after ten minutes he still hadn't turned a page. When the train stopped, Remus was the first out of their car, not even waiting for them to grab a carriage to the castle together. He slipped in with some Ravenclaws who wouldn't have noticed him unless he had text written all over him. Sirius glanced at James, but the boy said nothing.

……

"No, James, not here… anyone can see…"

"Shut up Padfoot, how many times do I have to tell you that?"

"James, please, we're at school for Merlin's sake. Ah!"

James licked a particularly sensitive bit of skin just below his ear, and Sirius couldn't stop himself. He let himself get pushed backwards, knees knocking against the bed and then tumbling onto it, dragging James atop him. In no time at all James' hands were under his shirt, playing with skin there.

"No marks, James," Sirius warned. "Remus is getting suspicious."

"And that bothers you?" James bit into his neck. Sirius gasped and clenched his hands in James' hair.

"Getting suspicious about _what_?" Someone growled from beyond the curtains. James paused, and the drapes around his bed snapped back, revealing the red face of Remus Lupin.

"Moony!" Sirius gasped, jerking under James, trying to wriggle out from under him.

"I knew something was up," Remus said, frowning. "James didn't say two words on the trip here, and you wouldn't look me in the eye." The boy trembled, hands gripping the cloth around James' bed. "You could have told me. Did you think I couldn't have handled it?"

"That's not it, Moony!" Sirius shoved James off him, heart clenching in his chest. He wasn't sure why he was so anxious that he had been found.

Remus scoffed, and spun. His sharp footsteps snapped across the floor and the door to their dormitory slammed shut after him. Sirius scowled and started up. James grabbed him by the wrist. "Padfoot, let him go."

"Prongs…" Sirius needed to go after Remus, but James' warm hand at his skin was very distracting. James pulled at his wrist, tugging gently. Sirius, against his better thoughts, allowed himself to be led to the mattress. James lay him flat on his back, and slid a knee between his legs. In a surprising display of tenderness, James ghosted his fingers over Sirius' jaw line and kissed his forehead. "James…"

"Shh," James whispered, using a foot to kick the curtain shut again.

……

James snored. The sound rumbled though Sirius' chest and sent warmth shooting to his gut. He shifted slowly, and froze when James groaned atop him. James shifted, loosening his arm from around Sirius' waist. Sirius, moving painfully slowly, eased his way out from under James and slipped from the bed. He slid into a pair of trousers, and moved to his bed. He passed Remus' bed, and noticed the curtains were still open.

Sirius moved to Remus' bed and twisted his fingers in the drapes. It was well past two in the morning, and Remus hadn't returned.

He slipped shoes on without socks, and walked from the dorm. The halls were dark, all the portraits asleep and snoring with varying degrees of intensity. He didn't really know where he was going; he seemed to be following his nose almost, moving on instinct.

He ended up at the foot of the Astronomy Tower, staring up at the winding staircase that led to the top of the school. As he grew closer to the top, he could hear papers rustling and someone shifting against the stone floor. He pushed open the door and stepped onto the Tower. "Moony?"

The figure jerked, whirling to face him. "Go away, Sirius, I don't want to talk to you," Remus said, sighing in a defeated manner.

"Moony, it's two in the morning," Sirius pointed out, deliberately using his nickname.

"I know. I've been tracking the movements of Siri- er, Polaris." Remus didn't move as Sirius came to stand by him.

"Moony, you're acting strange."

"Sirius, you are thick." Remus' face twisted in the dim light of the moon. "James is going out with Lily, or have you failed to notice that?"

"I know," Sirius answered calmly. "It doesn't matter to me."

"Sirius, he doesn't love you."

Sirius smiled. "I know."

Remus looked flabbergasted. "How can… _Sirius_!" his voice cracked. "How can you do that to yourself?"

"Because it's easier than not being around him," Sirius answered truthfully. He tucked a flyaway strand of hair behind his ear. "And because I love him."

The muscles in Remus' jaw flexed as he clenched his jaw shut. "This is not healthy," Remus said, his voice thinly maintained. "You don't even care!"

"No, I don't. Moony, if you stay out here you're going to end up in the Infirmary." Sirius smirked. "Madame Pomfrey wouldn't be at all pleased to see you back so soon."

Remus' eyes hardened. "I'll stay here. You go back to bed."

Sirius sighed heavily. He stepped forward, taking one of Remus' cold hands into his and tugging. "Moony," he sang, smiling. "Moony, come to bed! It's late! Time for the puppies to be in bed!"

"Grow up," Remus snapped, though it wasn't malicious at all. In fact, a small smile was creeping over his lips.

"For me, Moony, come to bed?" Sirius pouted brilliantly.

Remus scoffed. "Puppy dog eyes don't work on me, you great pillock." He bent down and gathered the papers scattered around at his feet. "All right, let's go." Sirius grinned widely and led the way to the stairs, tugging Remus along through their clasped hands.

Once in the Gryffindor sixth year dormitory, Sirius dropped Remus' hand and hopped over to James' bed. He held a hand at the curtain to slip in, but Remus stopped him with a frantic whisper. "Sirius, please!"

"Moony, I know what I'm doing," Sirius responded with a sad smile. "Trust me."

"Sirius, he's going to break you." Remus watched as Sirius smiled that reckless smile of his and disappeared inside the drapes. "And I'll be left clutching the pieces…" he whispered.


End file.
